Follower for card tray



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FOLLOWER FOR CARD TRAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug 19. 1968 flNVENTOF-k. STANLEY R. HEFT ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,533,532 FOLLOWER FOR CARD TRAY Stanley R. Heft, Pottstown, Pa., assignor to John E.

Sjostrom Company, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Aug. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 753,627 Int. Cl. B65d 25/06 US. Cl. 22022.3 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A card tray is provided with a track member and a card follower releasably locked in a selected position along the track member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relates generally to office or library furniture, and particularly to card catalog files.

Description of the prior art Trays for card catalog files may be provided with card followers fitted with mechanism for releasably locking the followers in selected positions each between the front and the rear of the tray. Ho'wever, known locking mechanisms for card followers are unduly complicated in design, costly to manufacture and dilficult to operate.

SUMMARY An object of the invention is to provide a card follower characterized by simplicity of construction and the ease with which it may be positively locked in position, released, and then moved to and locked in another selected position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a card file tray equipped with a card follower and a track therefor, the bottom and sides of the tray being shown in phantom;

FIG. 2 is a section on line II-II in FIG. 1, looking at the back of the card follower;

FIG. 3 is a section on lines III'III in FIG. 1, looking at the front of the card follower;

FIG. 4 is a section on lines IV-IV in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the card follower and its track.

The following description is directed to the specific form of the invention illustrated in the drawings. It is not addressed to the scope of the invention, which may be practiced in a variety of forms.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 3, the card file tray comprises two laterally spaced members forming the bottom of the tray and a pair of laterally spaced members 12 upstanding respectively from the members 10 and forming opposite sides of the tray. The members 10 and 12 are joined together by members (not shown) extending thereacross and respectively forming the front and back of the tray. The bottom, sides, front and back members of the tray may be made of wood, metal or any other suitable material.

In the plane of the tray bottom and disposed between the members 10 is a sheet metal track member 14 which is channel-shaped in transverse section. The track member is provided with a web 16 flush with the undersurface of the members 10, and with a pair of flanges 18 respecice with a series of uniformly spaced open recesses 24 forming between each successive pair thereof a tooth 26. The opposite end portions of the track member are secured respectively to the front and back members of the tray by suitable means (not shown).

The track member 14 mounts a follower of the adjustable locking type, generally designated 28, made of metal.

' The follower comprises a member 30 supporting a plate 32 and means for locking the follower in a selected position along the track member.

The base of the support member, designated 34, is of a width for sliding freely between the pair of flanges 18, and longitudinally spaced portions thereof are raised, as by crimps 36, whereby to provide an effective thickness for a sliding fit between the Web 16 of the track member and the marginal areas 20 and 22 of the flanges 18. The base 34 terminates in a neck 38 of a width for moving freely between the marginal areas 20 and 22 of the flanges 18 and with a head 40 upstanding from the neck 38. The head 40 is shouldered by crimping, as at 42, whereby to provide a pair of ears 44 respectively on opposite sides of, and forwardly offset from, the main body area of the head, as shown. The forwardly offset ears 44 abut the follower plate 32 and are spot welded thereto for supporting the same. The tray is fitted with a round rod 45 conventionally provided to positively hold the cards, designated C, in the tray. The-rod 45 passes freely through openings in the cards and through registering openings 47 and 49 respectively in the follower plate 32 and the main body area of the head 40.

The locking means, housing in the space or open ended sleeve between the follower plate 32 and the main body area of the head 40, comprises a trigger 46 pivotally mounted upon a rivet 48 spanning the distance between the follower plate and the main body area of the head 40. One leg of the trigger, designated 50, depends from the pivot 48 and terminates in a portion or tip 52 shaped to normally engage in one of the recesses 24, between a pair of the teeth 26. The other leg of the trigger, designated 54, extends upwardly from the pivot 48 at an angle relative to the leg and terminates in a finger piece 56, as shown. A hairpin type Wire spring 58 is provided to constantly urge the tip of the trigger into locking engagement with the track member 16. One leg of the spring, designated 60, is seated against one of the shoulders or abutments 42, while the other leg (designated 62) extends downwardly from a bend 64. The terminal portion of the leg 64 is received in a notch 66 formed in one edge of the trigger 46, a substantial distance below the pivot 48.

In the condition of the mechanism shown, the cards C rest on the bottom members 10 of the tray and are held against removal from the tray by the rod 45 passing through the cards and the follower. The follower is locked in a selected position along the track member 16 by the trigger 46, which is constantly urged in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, by the spring 58. The trigger is shown in an extreme position (solid lines), with one edge of the trigger, designated 68, engaging the opposed shoulder 42, at which time the tip 52 of the trigger is disposed in one of the recesses 24, between a pair of the teeth 26. The cards C are supported in an upright position by the follower plate 32, against which they rest.

When the follower is to be repositioned along the track member in order to provide room for more cards or to take up space made by removing cards from the tray, the operator places a finger, designated F, under the piece 56 and pulls upwardly, whereupon the trigger pivots about the rivet '48 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, against the action of the spring 5 8, from the solid to the broken line position thereof. The tip 52 of the trigger thereupon moves out of the recess 24 and clears the teeth 26. Then the follower is manually shifted to the desired position along the track member, whereupon it is released. The trigger immediately pivots in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, under the action of spring 58, and returns to its initial locking position. The tip 52 thereof engages in another of the recesses 24 and is locked in position by the adjacent teeth 26-. It will be noted that the leg 50 of the trigger is notched, as at 70, to clear the rod 45.

.The extreme simplicity of construction and the ease with which the follower may be positively locked in position, released, and then moved to and locked in another selected position should be noted.

While in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have illustrated and described the best form or embodiment of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the device described wihtout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a card tray for a card catalog file, the combination comprising (A) a track member, and

(B) a card follower shiftably mounted on said track member and selectively positionable along the length thereof including (1) an upright follower plate member extending across said track member,

(2) means providing a fixed abutment disposed to the rear and facing one end of said follower plate member, and

(3) means for releasably locking said follower in a selected position including (a) a trigger plate member connected intermediate the opposite end portions thereof to said follower plate member for pivotal movement relative thereto, the lower extremity of said trigger plate member being received in a selected one of a series of recesses formed in said track member and being thereby locked in position, d

(b) a hairpin-type wire spring member with one end thereof seated against 'said abutment and the other end thereof engaged with said trigger plate member, below the pivotal axis, said spring member, abutment means and trigger plate member being disposed in immediately adjacent overlying relation to the back of said follower plate member in coplanar relation.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the follower plate member is carried by a support member slidable along the track member, said support and follower plate members conjointly form a vertically extending sleeve, the trigger plate member extends from a distance above said sleeve downwardly therethrough to the track member below, said trigger plate member is pivoted on an element extending through said trigger plate member and having its opopsite end portions carried respectively by said follower plate and support members, and the spring is disposed within said sleeve between one edge of said trigger plate member and the opposed area of said sleeve.

3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the follower plate member is carired by a support member slidable along the track member, said support member is provided with a head having a main body part and a pair of laterally spaced shoulders respectively on opposite sides thereof holding said main body part in rearwardly spaced relation to said follower platernember, said follower plate member and head conjointly afford a vertically extending sleeve broad in width and comparatively shallow in depth, the trigger plate member extends from a point above said sleeve downwardly therethrough and is mounted for pivotal movement about an axis disposed between the upper and lower end portions of said sleeve, and said trigger plate and spring members are disposed in side-byside coplanar relation within said sleeve with one end of said spring member reacting against one of said shoulders and the other against said trigger plate member whereby to yielda-bly bias said trigger plate member toward the other of said shoulders.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,692,601 10/1954 Kent 22022.3

GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 220-225 

